Greedy Trial Lawyer
Shoplifting And Medical Malpractice Get Passes
Category: Seeing Clearly Now
Sam Walton had it right. He prosecuted shoplifters - no matter the price of the lifted item. But, times change. A New York Times story explains why the change was made.
The little evil or small sin is not worth the effort of Wal-Mart employees. The so-called professional shoplifters will now have more eyes on them.
No wonder jurors are now forgiving innocent carelessness on the part of wrongdoers (especially medical providers). Or, not compensating less-than-catastrophic injuries. The moral and legal stop signs that used to be enforced and, therefore, respected, are coming down.
Some Leeway for the Small Shoplifter
Wal-Mart refuses to carry smutty magazines. It will not sell compact discs with obscene lyrics. And when it catches customers shoplifting -- even a pair of socks or a pack of cigarettes -- it prosecutes them.But now, in a rare display of limited permissiveness, Wal-Mart is letting thieves off the hook -- at least in cases involving $25 or less.
According to internal documents, the company, the nation's largest retailer and leading destination for shoplifting, will no longer prosecute first-time thieves unless they are between 18 and 65 and steal merchandise worth at least $25, putting the chain in line with the policies of many other retailers.
Under the new policy, a shoplifter caught trying to swipe, say, a DVD of the movie "Basic Instinct 2" ($16.87) would receive a warning, but one caught walking out of the store with "E.R. -- The Complete Fifth Season" ($32.87) would face arrest.
Wal-Mart said the change would allow it to focus on theft by professional shoplifters and its own employees, who together steal the bulk of merchandise from the chain every year, rather than the teenager who occasionally takes a candy bar from the checkout counter.
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